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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25712533">Is there still anything that love can do?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LenkaVittoriaElisse16/pseuds/LenkaVittoriaElisse16'>LenkaVittoriaElisse16</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SteveTony games 2020 [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Accidental Baby Acquisition, Fantasy AU, Features Tony tree bondage, Flat Earth AU, I am in the uncanny valley between Fluff and angst, Like the Flangst Hybrid I am, M/M, Mind Control, Peter Parker &amp; Morgan Stark are Siblings (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Steve is knight in shining armour, Superfamily, Tony is like a princess being rescued, a bit of angst, apocalypse au, but it is really fluffy I promise</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:55:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,006</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25712533</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LenkaVittoriaElisse16/pseuds/LenkaVittoriaElisse16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter is curious about his identity and how the world got split into two. His fathers give him a bizarre tale. A tale of how love conquered all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steve Rogers/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SteveTony games 2020 [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852267</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Is there still anything that love can do?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For the SteveTony games, fill for Team Fluff</p><p>Title: Is there still anything that love can do? <br/>Square: O5<br/>PROMPT FILL: Mind Control (angst)<br/>Bonus prompts: Apocalypse AU</p><p>Notes: Inspired by the song “Is there still anything that love can do?” By RADWIMPS</p><p>Special Thanks to:<br/>Beta: OCLuna<br/>Cheerreader: Lupin (Stardating)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>8-year-old Peter stares at the greens on his plate. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you continue staring at the Brocolli, it's gonna eat you first," Tony tells his eight-year-old son, who continues his staring match with the tree-like vegetable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You better listen to your father, he almost got eaten by a tree once-" Steve said but was cut off when Tony grabbed his hand and shook his head. Maybe later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"DAD GOT EATEN BY A TREE?!" Peter exclaims. Stories always get his attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Too late. Tony sighs, and Steve smiles. "Yeah, the same thing will happen to you, Peter, if you don't finish your food."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because of his pops' warning, the young boy gobbles his food as fast as possible. He is not going to allow any tree to eat him alive.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>10-year-old Peter stared at the world map in his classroom. On the map are two pieces of land floating in space. Today in school, his teacher, Mr. Lang, said that the world had been a single mass of land floating in space, right now, the world has split into two. His teacher advises the class to read the next section of their textbook about </span>
  <em>
    <span>The separation of the landmasses</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Peter skims the chapter, he decides that the textbook is boring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe pops knows the reason; he is a good storyteller after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well," Steve says, looking at his inquisitive son. "What Mr. Lang said was true, the world is just a single continent floating in space."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What happened?" Peter asks excitedly as he was doing some art homework. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steve looks at the scattered crayons before he could even narrate the story. A story he knew so well. "Well, son, I will tell you an epic story," he begins...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Long ago, there were two childhood friends named Steven and Anthony. Steven was poor while Anthony was rich, but that didn't stop them from becoming friends. Steven was an artist at heart, Anthony was fascinated by science. Steven believes in folklore, but Anthony doesn't. They are two different people, but they tried to compromise. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Once, Anthony's father, Howard, sent him to boarding school so that Anthony may have decent friends and forget about Steven, yet the two would find ways to send letters to each other. The two reached adulthood and fell in love with each other.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Meanwhile, there was a massive old tree by Anthony's backyard, his family had owned it for a long time, for centuries, they said. It is essential for keeping the world together,</span>
  </em>
  <span>" Steve said, Looking at Peter, the boy's chin resting on his hands, eagerly awaiting, eagerly what came next.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then?" The little boy asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You must understand that the tree that held the world together needed nourishment, every hundred years or so."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How do you nourish the tree? With water?" Peter asks. His favorite teacher Mr. Lang just discussed how plants nourish themselves without eating last week. So yes, he is reasonably sure he knew how a massive tree would sustain itself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The same way a venus flytrap gets its nourishment when a fly lands on its mouth, it sucks away the victim's juice until the victim dissolves." Tony's voice interrupts the whole story-telling event. In his arms is Peter's sister, a baby of eleven months sucking her pacifier. "That's why you eat your vegetables before the vegetables eat you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Dad!" Peter exclaims. "Pops was telling me how the world got split into half, but is that true? The tree eats humans?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, your pops is not wrong," Tony smirks and then gives Morgan a kiss on the cheek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Near him, Peter could hear his pops coo and baby talk the new member of the family. To which his dad passes the willing baby to her other father's arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then how did the world get split into half?" Peter whined. "Did that mean that the tree that held the earth died?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's correct," Tony said then proceeds to ruffle Peter's curls, earning a chuckle from the young boy." You have excellent deduction skills kiddo, ok, storytime over."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter looks over at his other father. Pops is busy playing with Morgan, but when their eyes meet, his pops winks at him. "I'll tell you later," he promises.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>14-year-old Peter looked at the television. The ad advertises about how someone could track their ancestors and family members via DNA. It is night time, and his family is watching basketball. His baby sister, Morgan, kept stealing his popcorn. Peter doesn't mind much and offers more popcorn to her bowl, much to her delight. His eyes drift to his parents on the loveseat, his pops' arm around his dad's. They were chatting animatedly about the game, predicting which team will win the semi-finals tonight. They shared a big bowl of popcorn, and they both bite out from a footlong sandwich. His parents always shared stuff, it can be obnoxious at times, but it is endearing at the same time. Peter wonders if he'll ever find a special person someday. Once again, he thinks of the ad that passed by so many times on air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter clears his throat "Fathers," he said. "You know that I love you and all, but sometimes, I'm curious, how did the two of you get me? Did somebody hand me over to you to adopt?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nobody did," Tony tells him bluntly. "The only parents you have is me and your pops."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh c'mon dad, that's bullshit," Peter said, instantly regretting he said a bad word right in front of pops. Steve gave him a look, and Peter felt dread coil in his stomach. "Sorry," he mumbles and mentally chastises himself. "But... I'm just curious, dad, you know that babies don't grow on trees, biology class said that it takes a mother and a father..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But you grew on a tree," Tony laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter felt a bit hurt that his dad, </span>
  <em>
    <span>a man of science</span>
  </em>
  <span>, would mock him about his parentage. Two men can't have a baby, that's a fact, and he was there when Morgan was delivered to their family via surrogate mom (His aunt Pepper, pops' sister, volunteered to be surrogate). He must have come from somewhere, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Dad, if you think this is a joke, then-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, it's not a joke. I'm serious, Petey," Tony said, recollecting himself from his burst of laughter earlier. "Remember the story about the tree? You love that story; your pops always told you that story every bedtime when you were a kid. Remember when Anthony's family, The Starks, failed to nourish the tree? It wasn't supposed to happen, but the tree was able to get some of my </span>
  <em>
    <span>essence</span>
  </em>
  <span> thus creating you, you and I, we both came from that tree." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter couldn't follow. None of dad's words seem to make any sense, was that story even real? It's too bizarre to be real, and now, his dad is acting as if it happened. The more his dad tried to explain things to him, the more his emotions got his better judgment. Humiliated and confused, he stands abruptly and slams his room door out of frustration. He could hear his dad yell after him, followed by his pops' calm voice and Morgan questioning the whole affair. Peter simply slumped in bed, tears staining his bed cover.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The results of the DNA kit only proved what his dad had told him a few weeks ago. The only genetic link he has is that of his two fathers. This must be a joke. He wasted money on a hoax report like this?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A soft knock interrupts his thoughts. It is Dad, and dad wears a dark open buttoned-down shirt that exposes a massive ugly scar on his chest. "Petey," he says softly. "May I talk to you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter looked at him, and the two of them proceeded to sit on his bed. Peter tried to hide the DNA test, yet Tony showed him his. Surprised that his dad wasn't mad at him for trying out the test kit, Peter reads his dad's DNA report, it's just the same as his. The report lists him and Morgan as his father's children.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How... How did that happen?" Peter mutters in disbelief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I wish I knew Pete," Tony said, "But sometimes, some things should be left to mystery. I only believed in science. My mom, your grandma, told me that I was the tree's gift. You see, my parents waited for a long time before they had me. However, I was a sickly child with a weak heart. That's when Howard, your grandpa, brought me in front of this massive sacred tree in our backyard. Father called the tree </span>
  <em>
    <span>Vita</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I couldn't remember much, but I could feel heat erupt in my chest, like a mixture of pleasure and agony. And when I woke up, I was in my own room, with my chest glowing in the dark, then, I realized, I gained a new heart."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh," Peter said softly upon the realization that Steven and Anthony were his parents. He could feel a blush spread across his cheeks. After a few moments of awkward silence, the teen begins, "Pops said </span>
  <em>
    <span>that the glowing heart on Anthony's chest acted like a time bomb. He said that the time will come when the tree would come for Anthony, yet Steven saved him and kissed the fair Anthony awake from his slumber. Pops ends the story saying that Anthony's heart never glowed again, which meant he was free of the curse</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Dad, how did it exactly happen?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony ran his fingers through Peter's head, gaining a grunt from the teen. "Dad, my hair..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony chuckled, watching his teen fuss over his disarrayed hair. "After your pops and I got married, the earth suddenly experienced a massive shift on the plates. Famine came, earthquakes frequented, there was a drought, and then excessive flooding. Scientists had warned everyone about climate change, while religious organizations claimed that the end was near. Then through the chaos of that time, I had frequent chest pains. I went from doctor to doctor in secret in hopes that I would find a cure, but I failed. I didn't tell this to your pops because I didn't want him to worry, but he caught me anyway. He hated it when we keep secrets from each other, especially when it comes to my health. Finally, one of our friends, your uncle Thor mentioned that I should seek help from this spiritual healer, Dr. Strange. (I think that's what his name was?) According to the mystic, it's because the tree </span>
  <em>
    <span>Vita</span>
  </em>
  <span> needs someone to nourish her again."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter could see a hint of sadness in his father's eyes. "When your pops knew about this, he was furious and distraught, he told me that he wouldn't let anything happen to me and that I wouldn't be a human sacrifice to this world, I think that's one of the first nights we spent in complete silence, both of us were afraid of what the future holds."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I remembered a siren calling to me in the middle of the night," Tony continued. "The same sensation has enveloped my chest, pain, and pleasure, then heat consuming my body. I wanted to resist, but my body moved on its own accord. Then afterward, my mind went blank. The next thing I knew is that I am walking towards the gigantic tree in the garden. Vita claimed me, and I could feel her branches entwine on my limbs like giant snakes ready to eat me as they choked the life out of me. For the first time, I felt fear. My mind kept screaming for your pops, and I tried to fight the overwhelming sleepiness that came to claim me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"In my dreams, I imagined Vita's branch pierce my chest, attempting to extract the heart given to me, then I heard Steve's voice. He called for me, and my consciousness returned. I had to fight whoever was trying to paralyze my mind. I knew there was a big struggle, as your father tried to fight Vita like the prince he is. I saw he had an ax with him, he was chopping Vita's branches out of his way, prying the vines and branches away from my body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I wish I could have helped your father. However, I was slipping in and out of consciousness, I couldn't tell who was screaming: me or your pops, it might be the tree even." Tony said, emotion thickening his voice, but he clears his throat anyway. "The next thing I remember when I jolted awake. The battle's heat was gone; the branches aren't moving anymore, nor was anything screaming. The world was still, and it was beginning to dawn. I tried to loosen my limbs a bit from the branches and then found a superficial wound on my chest as if something had tried to drill my sternum. Your father was atop of me as if shielding me from another branch attack. I tried to nudge him awake by calling his name, and I was so afraid that the tree might have eaten him instead of me, I heard him breathe, so I knew he was still alive, </span>
  <em>
    <span>thank god</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter watched as his father rolled his eyes on the memory. He bets that it wasn't a fond memory of his. "How did you get home?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Your two uncles came along, </span>
  <em>
    <span>James 1</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>James 2</span>
  </em>
  <span> were supposed to have breakfast with us when they saw the mangled tree by the backyard. The tree was so big, so you couldn't miss it when it topples down. Your pops and I were rushed to the emergency room, and your other father almost died of blood loss, but it's a good thing they transfused some blood and fluids back into him, stopped the bleeding on his abdomen via emergency surgery. On the other hand, I just received another open heart surgery to fix the damage caused by the branches drilling my sternum. Luckily, it never reached any of my heart muscle. So, </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing serious, </span>
  </em>
  <span>really</span>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter is silent. Dad's version is</span>
  <em>
    <span> cooler </span>
  </em>
  <span>than pop's, but maybe pops likes sugarcoating his stories. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you know what's even cooler, Petey?" Tony asks his son. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?" Peter asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony sighs and smiles at him. "A few months after the destruction of the old tree, your father and I decided to erect a small monument to honor Vita. That's when we heard a baby cry by the fallen tree's stump, still wrapped in some kind of magical leaves." Tony pauses, "that baby is you, Pete."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Me?" Peter raised an eyebrow, "How?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>The Mystic Strange doctor</span>
  </em>
  <span> said that you are Vita's remnants infused with my essence and your pops. That meant the tree was able to get a little bit of nourishment from my blood and your father's blood and created you. It was her one last effort to preserve herself, in the form of a mortal boy."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony pauses and pats Peter's shoulder. "That's why you are 100% ours. I even have our old DNA test to prove it, so, News Flash: we share the same cells bud, congratulations," </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What happened to the world after then?" Peter inquires.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, it did split into half. Eventually, it didn't happen overnight. Like all things in nature, it happened gradually: giving everyone a chance to evacuate and adapt to a new way of life. This was a period in time wherein everyone just started helping each other through a crisis. It was beautiful," Tony said, grinning at his son. "I hope that answers your question."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bewildered and silent, Peter slowly leans his head to his dad's shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony felt the weight of the young boy's head, literally and figuratively. And after a few moments of awkward silence, he feels his son pull him into a tight embrace.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Happy Anniversary, love," Steve says as he kisses Tony's temple. Tony wakes with a smile on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Happy 20th, Steve, "Tony answers and sits up from the bed gazing at the same person he has loved since childhood, the same person who could risk it all, even if it meant his life. "I can't believe that we have made it this far."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tony, love," Steve's voice was tender. "I remember that day as if it was just yesterday, I fought hard to have you, your father wouldn't approve of me to be your husband, I had to fight and prove to him that I can be a worthy husband to you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Forgive me, Tony, if I was so selfish," Steve pauses, the weight of the event continues to haunt him ever since. "Yes, I was selfish, but who cares if the world goes into ruins if that meant that I couldn't see your face anymore," he cups Tony's face. "Tony you are worth fighting for,"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Steve," Tony said, wiping the tears that are falling on his husband's cheeks. "How could I ever forget? Love, you saved me. If you haven't done what you did, we won't live together like this, a </span>
  <em>
    <span>family.</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony kisses Steve's knuckles in reverence. "The world resolved itself, so there is nothing for you to feel guilty about. I am thankful for many things, and you are always at the top of my list." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steve leans in, tilts Tony's chin, and presses his lips onto his spouse's. Forever and ever till death do them part. And with a contented sigh, the two rested their foreheads against each other's.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>15-year-old Peter was holding the breakfast tray outside his parents' room. Today is their anniversary, and he and Morgan planned a surprise anniversary breakfast-in-bed treat. As he opens the door of his parents' bedroom, he overhears their whispers and declarations of love. Beside him, Morgan starts to giggle excitedly. He tries to hush her down to give his parents more privacy, but then he hears his dad's voice, "Morg, Pete, I know you two are out there, you may enter."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter grins as Morgan runs inside the room and bounces into bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is there still anything that love can do? </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This idea has been burning in the back of mind for so long, I wanted to write the accurate events that transpired between Steve and Tony</p></blockquote></div></div>
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